By ADRIAN STEWART CO
MANILA — Billions worth of flood control projects have been scrapped from the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) 2026 budget, slashing the agency’s proposal by nearly 29 percent amid mounting scrutiny of alleged “ghost projects.”
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed that the revised budget now stands at ₱625.78 billion, down from the original ₱881.31 billion submission.
“The revised budget amounts to ₱625,784,508,000 which is ₱255,528,051,000 or 28.99% lower than the originally proposed ₱881,312,559,000 budget earlier submitted,” Dizon said.
He explained that the steep cut stemmed from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to remove all locally funded flood control projects worth ₱252 billion — a sector now under congressional investigation for alleged irregularities.
The President also recommended reallocating the savings to other priorities, including agriculture, education, health care, housing, labor, social welfare, and information technology.
Dizon submitted the revised budget to Speaker Martin Romualdez through House Appropriations Committee chair Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing on September 15.
The overhaul follows separate probes by Congress and government agencies into questionable flood control projects, some of which have been reported as completed only on paper./PN
